Best Shiv Narayanan Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 87: Michael Wilkins, Shamrock Capital | How Sector Focus Impacts Deal Flow and Growth 45:15

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5d ago45:15

45:15

Shiv interviews Michael Wilkins, Partner at Shamrock Capital, to explore the opportunities PE firms can unlock through deep expertise in sectors including media, entertainment and sports. Michael explains how industry focus and long-term networks translate into proprietary deal flow, why value creation plans need to be tailored to each company rath…

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Ep. 86: How To SaaS Team | Turning Marketing into a Growth Engine for PE-Backed Companies 53:51

13d ago53:51

53:51

In this episode, Shiv Narayanan sits down with members of the How To SaaS client services team to talk about the most common marketing challenges inside PE-backed portfolio companies—and how to solve them. Chief Client Officer Farhad Chikhliwala, VP of Marketing Taylor Moore and Director of Marketing Tatiana Morand discuss why poor tracking and mis…

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Ep. 85: Brian Boorstein, Granite Creek Capital Partners | Using Flexible Capital Structures to Unlock Growth 35:31

19d ago35:31

35:31

Shiv interviews Brian Boorstein, Co-Founder and Partner at Granite Creek Capital Partners. On this episode, Brian shares how to leverage flexible investment structures to unlock growth in lower middle market companies. Learn about the importance of aligning capital, talent and opportunity, and hear about how rigid investment mandates can cause PE f…

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Ep. 84: Garrett Marsilio, Delta-v Capital | Creating Liquidity Through Secondaries in Tech 33:44

26d ago33:44

33:44

Shiv interviews Garrett Marsilio, Partner at Delta-v Capital. On this episode, Garrett dives deep into the evolving landscape of secondaries in private markets. Learn how secondary investments are creating new liquidity pathways for venture-backed companies and why this is becoming a preferred strategy. Hear about adding post-investment value throu…

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Ep. 83: Kade Thomas, Emory Oak Partners | Scaling Service Businesses with a Long-Term Approach 40:42

1M ago40:42

40:42

Shiv interviews Kade Thomas, Founder & CEO of Emory Oak Partners. On this episode, Kade explains how his firm grows service businesses. Learn about a proven approach to building companies from the ground up, integrating acquisitions, using centralized teams to handle shared services and using data to guide marketing and cross-selling strategies.…

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Ep. 82: Amanda Good, Searchlight Capital Partners | Turning Good Businesses Into Great Investments 39:06

1M ago39:06

39:06

Shiv interviews Amanda Good, Partner and Head of Value Creation at Searchlight Capital Partners. In this episode, Amanda shares practical strategies to transform good companies into great ones through operational excellence, team enhancements, and a disciplined planning process. Learn how to balance quick-win initiatives with longer-term strategic …

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Ep. 81: Andrew Weinberg of Brightstar Capital on Blending AI with Traditional PE Strategies 35:08

2M ago35:08

35:08

Shiv interviews Andrew Weinberg, Founder, CEO & Co-Chair at Brightstar Capital Partners. On this episode, Andrew talks about transforming traditional private equity through an “invest and operate” or ”us and us” model. Learn how AI is becoming an integral value creation lever alongside traditional strategies and about practical examples of applying…

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Ep. 80: Bradford Pilcher of Bonaccord Capital Partners on Unlocking PE Firm Growth Through GP Stakes 57:16

2M ago57:16

57:16

Shiv interviews Bradford Pilcher, Partner at Bonaccord Capital Partners. In this episode, Brad unpacks the GP stakes strategy – what it is, how it works, and why it’s more than just a passive investment. Learn how mid-market private equity firms can grow through capital formation, thoughtful product diversification, and talent strategy. Learn what …

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Ep. 79: Lloyd Metz, ICV Partners | Transforming Legacy Businesses with Capital, Digital, and EQ 46:45

2M ago46:45

46:45

Shiv interviews Lloyd Metz, Managing Partner at ICV Partners. In this episode, Shiv and Lloyd discuss investing in legacy or family-owned businesses in sectors like consumer goods (CPG), food and beverage (F&B), and business services. Learn how to drive transformation in these companies by modernizing operations, embracing digital, and scaling go-t…

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Ep. 78: Jon Nuger, Berkshire Partners | Prioritizing Culture Within PE Firms 43:17

3M ago43:17

43:17

Shiv interviews Jon Nuger, Managing Director at Berkshire Partners. Shiv and Jon discuss the importance Berkshire Partners places on culture within the firm and the impact this has on the way they invest and create value. Learn how a focus on culture can be a differentiating strategy, how it shapes your relationships and conversations (particularly…

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Ep. 77: Hilary Gosher, Insight Partners | Operational Excellence from Sourcing to Exit 52:21

3M ago52:21

52:21

Shiv interviews Hilary Gosher, Managing Director at Insight Partners. In this episode, Shiv and Hilary discuss how Insight’s 120-person Onsite team gives the firm a competitive edge across its portfolio. Learn how having an in-house operations team can be a force multiplier for portfolio companies by bringing deep functional expertise and strategic…

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Exit-Ready Marketing: Shiv Narayanan on Making Marketing Measurable in PE-Backed Companies 1:01:50

3M ago1:01:50

1:01:50

Paul Stansik sits down with Shiv Narayanan—founder of How to SaaS and author of Exit-Ready Marketing—to break down what most private equity firms and portfolio companies get wrong about marketing. They explore how to make marketing a measurable, scalable lever for value creation, from diligence to exit. Shiv shares the frameworks he's used across c…

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Ep. 76: Richard Erickson and Stan Bikulege, Lightview Capital | Scaling Founder-Led B2B Services Businesses 34:01

3M ago34:01

34:01

Shiv interviews Richard Erickson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, and Stan Bikulege, Principal, at Lightview Capital. In this episode, Richard and Stan discuss how they invest in and scale founder-led B2B services-based businesses. Learn about the benefits of recurring and reoccurring revenue, their value creation strategy, and how to align with …

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Ep. 75: Raj Bakhru, BlueFlame AI | How AI Is Transforming Private Equity Workflows 38:12

3M ago38:12

38:12

Shiv interviews Raj Bakhru, CEO and Co-Founder at BlueFlame AI. In this episode, Shiv and Raj discuss how generative AI is transforming private equity operations. Learn how AI agents are already reshaping workflows across sourcing, diligence, and portfolio value creation. Hear how PE firms can leverage proprietary data and build internal AI committ…

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Ep. 74: John Stewart, MiddleGround Capital | Optimizing Operations in Industrial Manufacturing Portcos 44:34

3M ago44:34

44:34

Shiv interviews John Stewart, Founder and Managing Partner at MiddleGround Capital. In this episode, John shares his expertise in investing in the industrial B2B manufacturing space — from his two decades at Toyota, to moving to the investment side of the equation. Learn about underwriting the value creation plan and creating enterprise value for i…

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Ep. 73: Alex Russ, Evercore | How to Stand Out in the Fundraising Crowd 45:35

4M ago45:35

45:35

Shiv interviews Alex Russ, Senior Managing Director & Head of North America at Evercore’s Private Funds Group. In this episode, Alex shares his experience helping private equity GPs raise funds from LPs. Learn how to approach fundraising in the current market, the characteristics that successful fundraisers have in common, and the importance of a s…

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Ep. 72: Chris Sznewajs, Pacific Avenue Capital | Investing in Companies with “Unnatural” Owners 43:43

4M ago43:43

43:43

Shiv interviews Chris Sznewajs, Founder and Managing Partner at Pacific Avenue Capital. In this episode, Chris and Shiv discuss carve-outs, buyouts, and the non-traditional types of investment deals available for “unnatural” owners – founders and investors who are ready for a transition. Learn how to underwrite these types of deals, and what benchm…

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Continuation Vehicles 101 with Houlihan Lokey 54:28

4M ago54:28

54:28

Devin sits down with Sameer Shamsi, Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey's GP Led Secondaries group. We cover everything you want to know about continuation vehicles, but were afraid to ask (or too dumb to ask?). What is the difference between LP-led and GP-led? How should GPs talk to their LPs about it? What assets are best suited for CVs? How does company m…

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Ep. 71: Amanda Kim, Avante Capital Partners | How Your Mission Can Be a Valuable Differentiator 38:09

4M ago38:09

38:09

On this episode of the Private Equity Value Creation podcast, Shiv speaks with Amanda Kim, Principal at Avante Capital Partners. As a majority women- and minority-owned private credit and structured equity fund, the team at Avante Capital Partners uses their unique insights and network to win deals, generate better returns and help women advance in…

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Ep 70: Mason Myers, Greybull Stewardship | Building Foundational Growth in Pre-Mid-Market Portcos 39:18

5M ago39:18

39:18

Shiv interviews Mason Myers, Founder and CEO at Greybull Stewardship. In this episode, Mason explains why Greybull Stewardship focuses on pre-middle-market companies and the steps they take to set these companies up to be true middle-market companies primed for PE backing. Learn how they take companies under $5M in EBITDA and grow them organically,…

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Ep. 69: Devon Kirk and Jonathan Metrick, Portage | How Investment and Ops Teams Can Work Together 41:28

5M ago41:28

41:28

Shiv interviews Devon Kirk, General Partner, and Jonathan Metrick, Chief Growth Officer at Portage. Devon and Jonathan share their perspectives from different sides of the investment table – Devon is on the investing team while Jonathan is on the internal ops team. Learn about their experiences investing in global FinTech and financial services, wh…

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Real-Time Inflation Tracking and Forecasting: A Deep Dive into Open Brand’s Proprietary Consumer Price Index 48:04

5M ago48:04

48:04

In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, host Ryan Milligan speaks with OpenBrand CEO Greg Munves and Chief Economist Ralph McLaughlin about their innovative approach to tracking inflation through the OpenBrand Consumer Price Index for Durable and Personal Goods (CPI-DPG). The CPI-DPG is updated weekly, providing a third independent data poin…

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Ep. 68: Joseph Hanna, Pivoting Model Partners | Product, Pivoting, and AI as Agents 49:50

5M ago49:50

49:50

Shiv interviews Joseph Hanna, Founding Partner at Pivoting Model Partners. In this episode, Joseph talks about differentiating between your product’s feature set and the customer’s perceived value in that feature set. Learn why companies should consider pivoting to AI to grow and sustain their business, and how companies can deploy and leverage AI …

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From Hype to Impact: Deploying GenAI in Real Businesses with Chris Taylor of Fractional AI 47:23

5M ago47:23

47:23

In this episode, Chris Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder of Fractional AI, joins the show to discuss how his company helps traditional businesses adopt and implement generative AI (GenAI) to improve operations and product offerings. Fractional AI focuses on transforming workflows with GenAI through practical, production-ready solutions, especially for com…

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Ep.67: Jim Sharpe, Unity Partners | Aligning Values with Growing Portcos 33:37

5M ago33:37

33:37

Shiv interviews Jim Sharpe, Partner and Head of Propel at Unity Partners. In this episode, Jim talks about how to truly action a company’s values and incorporate them into your growth plans while ensuring alignment with founders. Learn about building a culture of ownership, how to use employee equity as a growth strategy, and why clear and transpar…

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Ep. 66: The Future of General vs Vertical AI | Shiv Narayanan, How To SaaS 40:50

6M ago40:50

40:50

Shiv Narayanan, Founder and CEO of How To SaaS, explains how AI can be leveraged by the private equity world. Learn about the differences between general and verticalized (or specialized) AI and how data is the product. Listen to how PE firms can use AI in the diligence phase, and the business strategy for companies to build their own vertical AI t…

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Ep. 65: Josh Schwartz, Growth Factors | Navigating Growth As An Operating Partner 38:48

6M ago38:48

38:48

Shiv interviews Josh Schwartz, Operating Principal at Growth Factors. In this episode, Josh talks about the unique operating partner model between Growth Factors and Bregal Sagemount. Learn his approach to value creation from the GTM side, how to look for growth levers during diligence, and how to navigate the political dynamics between operating p…

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Ep. 64: Todd Morrissey, Hidden River Strategic Capital | Alternative Avenues for Underserviced Companies 33:11

6M ago33:11

33:11

Shiv interviews Todd Morrissey, Partner at Hidden River Strategic Capital. In this episode, Todd shares alternative avenues for founders and entrepreneurs other than a growth equity buyout and private credit deals. Learn how they help companies determine how much capital they need to scale, the opportunities for combining debt and equity as an inve…

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Open Brand’s AI-Powered Market Intelligence Revolution 41:04

6M ago41:04

41:04

In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Greg Munves (CEO) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO) join Partner Ryan Milligan to discuss the rapid growth and transformation of Open Brand, a company formed through the combination of four market intelligence companies. They share insights on leveraging AI for real-time data analytics, scaling through stra…

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Ep. 63: Brad Armstrong, LMP | Supporting Portcos With an Advisor Bench 35:46

6M ago35:46

35:46

Shiv interviews Brad Armstrong, Partner at Lovell Minnick Partners (LMP). In this episode, Shiv and Brad talk about LMP’s approach to supporting their portfolio companies with a robust operating partner bench, as well as how to prioritize where to allocate budget, resources, and advisors when making value creation plans. Learn about weaponizing the…

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Ep. 62: Stephen Marks, Emmersion Capital | How to Navigate the Rewards and Risks of Nearshoring 40:48

7M ago40:48

40:48

Shiv interviews Stephen Marks, Managing Director, Emmersion Capital. In this episode, Shiv and Stephen discuss the benefits and challenges of nearshoring, including the economies of scaling your workforce in Latin America, onboarding and company culture, as well as macroeconomic risks and political challenges. Learn about labor arbitrage opportunit…

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Ep. 61: Diamond Innabi, Software Equity Group | Relationships between Founders and Investment Banks 30:44

7M ago30:44

30:44

Shiv interviews Diamond Innabi, Principal at Software Equity Group. In this episode, Diamond shares how investment banks can help founders position their companies to increase the likelihood of transactions. Learn how successful founders think about the process of exiting, as well as how to maximize the valuation of a transaction and ensure the int…

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Ep. 60: Creating Enterprise Value With Marketing | Shiv Narayanan, How To SaaS 35:14

7M ago35:14

35:14

Shiv Narayanan, Founder and CEO at How To SaaS, shares his presentation from Silicon Y’All 2024. Learn about the nine critical marketing problems most companies face, from poor gross revenue and net retention problems to not generating enough traffic or leads. Shiv also shares the five most common value creation scenarios and the four major marketi…

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Shock and Nawww : DeepSeek and the Future of LLMs 1:02:30

7M ago1:02:30

1:02:30

Join host Jim Milbery along with guests Alan Williamson (CTO of HiBid) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO of OpenBrand) as we react to the recent DeepSeek AI announcement, its implications for the AI industry, private equity, and technology companies. We discuss the shock and awe response from the VC and tech communities, debating whether it signals a tru…

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Ep. 59: John Bailey, OneFund Investments | What To Look For in PE Operating Teams and Partners 36:32

7M ago36:32

36:32

Shiv interviews John Bailey, Co-Founder at OneFund Investments. In this episode, John shares how he runs his fund of funds, how he vets the PE firms they invest in, and the pros and cons of how PE firms approach operating teams. Learn about key differences between the three models for operating teams within PE firms, how to build a lean (but impact…

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Predictions and Strategies for 2025 47:50

8M ago47:50

47:50

Jim and Paul kick off the 2025 podcast year. We discuss economic uncertainties, private equity challenges, and evolving market strategies. We explore AI’s role in portfolio management, cybersecurity concerns, and operational improvements, emphasizing practical efficiency over drastic changes. The conversation also touches on AI adoption within orga…

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Ep. 58: Scott Stouffer, scaleMatters | Using Data to Make Effective Go-To-Market Investments 48:46

9M ago48:46

48:46

This episode is sponsored by scaleMatters. In this episode, Shiv Narayanan interviews Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder at scaleMatters, to talk all about data – data hygiene, data infrastructure, and the insights that come from data to make those important value creation decisions. Learn how scaleMatters – a firm that specializes in go-to-market ana…

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Ep. 57: Sean Cantwell, Volition Capital | Growing Portcos by Building the Operations Function 40:38

9M ago40:38

40:38

Shiv interviews Sean Cantwell, Managing Partner at Volition Capital. In this episode, Sean shares how Volition Capital’s operations teams support their portcos with the resources, tools, and frameworks they need to grow. Learn about best practices including portfolio summits, internal resource portals, and training. Hear about when it makes sense t…

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Ep. 56: Jordon Kruse & Matt Wilson, Oaktree Capital | Opportunities in Special Situations Investing 43:56

9M ago43:56

43:56

Shiv interviews Jordon Kruse, Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, and Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, at Oaktree Capital. In this episode, Matt and Jordon explain their approach to special situations investing, including rescue financing transactions where they restructure the debt and balance sheet of companies. Th…

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Ep. 55: Inovia Capital Panel | Making Acquisitions A Success From the People, Cultural, and Technical Side 39:14

10M ago39:14

39:14

Shiv interviews Krista Skalde, Chief Talent Officer Partner at Inovia Capital, Meryl Almeida, Director of Corporate Development at Inovia Capital, and Kory Jeffrey, Principal & VP, Technology at Inovia Capital. In this episode, Krista, Meryl, and Kory share how they evaluate acquisitions, how to create value from a corp dev perspective, and how to …

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Enhancing Technical Due Diligence with SEMA Software 55:21

10M ago55:21

55:21

Matt Van Itallie from SEMA Software joins Jim to discuss the value of SEMA’s code analysis tools for private equity backed companies, particularly for companies managing technical debt, security, and code quality. They highlight the challenges of due diligence in software acquisitions, especially for older companies with legacy systems, and stress …

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Ep.54: Aldy Keene, Loyalty Research Center | The Importance of Customer Loyalty for Portcos 41:46

10M ago41:46

41:46

Shiv interviews Aldy Keene, CEO at Loyalty Research Center. In this episode, Aldy shares how to evaluate the quality of relationships to understand how loyal a company’s customer base really is, and how both founders and investors can use that data to create value. Learn why companies should spend more time analyzing their customer base, how to fin…